


Never Was An Apple

by lynnmonster



Category: Misfits
Genre: Chromatic Character, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-20
Updated: 2010-12-20
Packaged: 2017-10-13 20:46:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/141568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lynnmonster/pseuds/lynnmonster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alisha tries to reconcile two versions of Simon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Never Was An Apple

**Author's Note:**

  * For [jargonelle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jargonelle/gifts).



> Spoilers through 2x06. Many thanks to my hardworking betas, Shayheyred and Maya Tawi!

_And there never was an apple, in Adam's opinion, that wasn't worth the trouble you got into for eating it._  
\--Neil Gaiman

 

Alisha and Simon are having what could technically be called a picnic.

They meet up, just the two of them, on purpose, because Alisha called Simon, even though she never calls guys. She always, always waits for them to call her. They go to the park because it's free and it's somewhere they can talk about their powers or whatever without being overheard. Like a little kid, Simon brings snacks and drinks from home, but no beer or wine because he is a freak who doesn't know how to turn simple hanging out into a proper date.

And it probably crosses the line into undeniable picnic-dom when Simon produces a bath towel and spreads it on the ground for her to sit on.

(Alisha refuses to acknowledge either her pleasure at the date-like behavior or her embarrassment at the fact that she is permitting date-like behavior, in public, from Simon.)

"So… are you still listening to that depressing Bunny and the Echomen music?" she asks, mangling the band's name on purpose to see how he reacts. It's possibly a little bit mean, but she can't help herself.

He laughs, but not at her, and his laugh is still small like he's uncertain if she's merely making him the butt of some joke they haven't gotten to the end of yet. She half wants to reassure him and half wants to cringe at his hesitance. Future-her probably had to put in a lot of hours to get future-him up to the confidence level that Mystery Ninja Simon had.

"Actually, yeah. I've always thought they were brilliant."

There it is. A glimpse of the Simon who sticks to what he thinks no matter what anybody else says. Which, considering the way he handled the second probation worker's death all on his own and the way Curtis said he refused to sign up for fame and fortune with the rest of them, is something she has just realized isn't actually unique to future-Simon. Sometimes she's amazed at his inner strength, and she can't help but admire it.

Maybe it's the betrayal of that which makes her want to slap him so much harder whenever he acts all beaten-down or displays yet again how deeply weird he can be.

"Huh," she says.

"What are you thinking about?" Simon asks her. It's a little scary that he already knows more about what's going on in her head than any guy she's ever gone out with. They're not even really going out. Yet. And as much as she'd like to accuse him of stalking her like a creeper, she knows it's not really like that.

She swallows down the deep discomfort she feels when she thinks too much about what it really is like.

"I was thinking about you." The tips of Simon's ears turn pink when he's embarrassed. "Not like _that_. Just … how you don't really care what other people think."

He looks at her like she's just declared him Pope.

"Of course I care what other people think," he says, kind of slowly. "I guess it might not always seem that way because I'm used to everyone thinking really bad things, when they think about me at all. So I know I can't do anything to change that. And sometimes it's just not worth it to try."

It's the last part that she still finds kind of impressive.

She tugs at the strap of her high-heeled sandal and doesn't say anything. She's pretty sure if she opened her mouth, whatever she said would make her look bad, somehow.

Simon opens a plastic container of apple slices and holds it out to her. "Want some?" he asks. She cringes internally a little bit as she picks one out and says thanks, her smile feeling brittle as she's reminded once again just how incredibly socially deadly even being near someone like Simon could be. Most of the time--like right now--he's the polar opposite of cool. Her stomach sinks with disappointment at how he has to be so very _Simon_ , not five minutes after she finds herself actually admiring him, for fuck's sake.

Alisha is proud that she doesn't look around to see who might be able to see them together. She probably ought to be ashamed of the impulse to do so, but she can't help it, so she doesn't even bother trying to feel bad.

The boy in front of her looks almost exactly like the man she's missing, but the difference is so huge she's having a hard time knowing what to think or how to feel. Simon chases a stray bit of apple with his tongue and she's hit with a wave of something that could be desire but doesn't feel much different from revulsion.

Was future-Simon so attractive because he'd worked his body to perfection, or because he made her safe? (She _knows_ future-Simon was hot as hell because--no lie--he was absolutely amazing in bed. But apparently she had herself to thank for that, anyway, which makes a certain kind of sense.) What she can't quite figure out is how she found him attractive enough to discover that in the first place.

 _Why_ had she wanted him so much? What was the difference between regular Simon and future-Simon that made all the reasons it was so ridiculous to picture her and Simon together just … disappear? She admits that big part of the appeal--at first, anyway--was that he could touch her without attacking.

Alisha is pretty sure Simon's not immune to her touch now, although it's tempting to find out. Her hand is just inches from his skin before it slides back into her lap. Simon doesn't notice, and she tells herself she doesn't care. But she misses the sex already. Especially after seeing Curtis's perfect ass pumping up and down as he plowed into that new girl.

Simon offers her more apple slices, shy and a little unsure. "No, thanks," she says, "that's not what I want." She pushes the container aside slowly and leans forward, on the verge of throwing caution to the winds. But Simon misses his cue in favor of awkwardly fumbling the container back into the bag he'd brought. Alisha sighs and slumps back.

Simon pets his bangs straight, and she realizes she's glad she has to wait to touch him, after all. The contrast between _that_ and the image of Curtis's sweat-sheened, sexy nakedness is almost too much to process. Maybe having to wait will give a little more time for the worst of Simon's spazziness to wear off.

The whole International Man of Mystery vibe hadn't exactly hurt future-Simon's appeal. But, surprisingly, neither had his sincerity. If she'd mentioned she wanted to go to Vegas to any other bloke, and he'd promised to take her there one day? Pathetic. He wouldn't have lasted with her long enough to save up for the trip.

But although Simon had certainly been earnest enough about it to earn her scorn, she carries the snapshot of them in front of the "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign with her everywhere. It has already survived three purse transfers and is starting to get a bit worn around the edges.

She pulls out the photo and compares it to the real thing sitting in front of her in an unfaded Levi's jacket. "I think your hair is better in the picture," she says, but really that's about the only difference she can see.

Simon takes the picture from her and squints at it. "Could you…"

"Could I what?"

"I don't know how to describe that. Would you come with me and explain to the hairdresser how to cut my hair that way?"

Alisha laughs, because that is something she can definitely do. "Absolutely."

"ASBO-lutely," he says with a big smile, and bumps his shoulder against hers. Her heart gives an extra-strong thump in her chest.

The thing is, she _likes_ Simon right now. She's aware that she's lucky to see him like this, before he becomes future-Simon, before he's someone that anybody would want to get to know. But if she doesn't go out with him, fall in love with him and make him fall in love with her, will he still come back to save her? Will she reach the point when he jumps back in time--however that happens--and just fade away like the kids in the Polaroid in _Back to the Future_?

Fear clenches her stomach and she looks at Simon's face, searching for answers he doesn't have.

"You weren't supposed to find out about the other you," she blurts out. "He told me not to tell you."

"You didn't tell me, I followed you," he says.

"But what if--" She swallows the rest of that sentence, because even though she's scared, she doesn't want to be that selfish.

Simon reaches for her hand and then visibly halts himself. He picks up the picture and presses it into her open palm. "It doesn't matter," he tells her, his pale eyes too intense as he stares right at her. "I'll save you anyway."

Alisha wants to grab his hand back but she doesn't want to crumple the picture.

It's only now that she remembers that it was _this_ Simon who said she was beautiful like he was stating an absolute fact. She takes a deep breath full of relief while she tucks the picture away, and says, "I believe you."


End file.
